Howling in the Shadows
by GoldFlareon
Summary: Lies and deception lead to corruption and fabrication, but can also help reveal one's own true path. However, corruption itself can't be healed, and nor can the damage before it's too late. It's up to two houndour and two trainers to uncover the reality.


Herro! This is a story of mine called _Howling in the Shadows_ (as you already know) or _Howling_ for short. I won't tell you what it's about for spoiler purposes, but thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it. ^^ Also, don't hesitate to leave a review. ;)

**Chapter One: Retrieve and Return**

It was a still night. Rivers calmly hurried along their trails, carrying with them anything they happened to acquire along the way. The moon distanced itself from the world as it peered down, shedding radiance upon the trees and occasionally being surpassed by the odd wispy cloud or two. The inky blackness above harbouring speckles of shimmering sparkles seemed to stretch for miles. The air became stale and dense as it leapt through the darkness, and with it, the scent of nature. The boughs of sleeping oaks and birches creaked as their owners lay almost still in peace, a pachirisu in much the same state shifting to become more comfortable. A chilly wind suddenly swept the ground, running down grass and blowing a plume of smoke in the direction of land already scaled.

Two human hands reached for a plastic bag and withdrew a carrot.

"I'm telling you, it's going to taste horrible," huffed a girl of about fifteen. She leaned against a stump with her arms crossed and her legs outstretched, one bent at the knee, and she had her eyes closed with annoyance. She removed a hand and flicked back fluffy chestnut hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She wore a yellow jacket half unzipped, the white top underneath fairly visible in the darkness. A black skirt began where the jacket finished, and her shoes, petite and pointed, were directed to her friend.

"I asked you if you wanted to cook," began the second human, "but you wanted me to do it. So don't complain." He dipped the ladle under the soup's surface, scooping chucks of potato, celery and turnip. He lifted it and turned it sideways, watching as it spilled into the cooking pot again, and set it against the pot's edge. A knife lying beside his knee found its way into his hand, and he started chopping, hearing the plop of each carrot slice break the soup's surface. He was careful not to cut his thumb as he used it to steady the vegetable.

"I don't like carrots, Tau!" She slid further down the stump, catching herself before landing all of her back on the ground.

The boy flashed his glance and sighed. "You'll break your back at that rate," he commented, continuing to chop.

"Says who?" questioned the girl, but the boy looked less than interested in replying. Instead he continued until the carrot was but a stump, and he set that aside with the other vegetable ends.

**ooo**

Paws flattened grass, each strand slowly straightening up as the bodies left their space. Straightened necks levelled with strong shoulder blades, ears flattened and eyes navigated with a wary gleam. Curled muzzles revealed sharp fangs, and they glistened under the dim moonlight.

The shuffle of movement ceased as a fleet came to a halt, all members standing tall and observant as they surveyed the area. Six figures stood behind the clear leader, their loyalty stretching out and their pride brimming.

There was a growl as one member took a step, addressing his leader. "Where do we go from here?"

The leader's eyes narrowed, a determined light flickering between them. "Onward. They have only minutes before we arrive and reclaim what they stole."

"Affirmative," the follower muttered.

"...Let's move."

**ooo**

The girl sighed. "It's so boring out here," she complained, throwing back her head and opening her eyes. The stars shimmered to her pupils and edged her into a trance. However, the cold got the better of her once it swept past, chilling her skin and causing tiny lumps to form on the surface. She shivered, grasping each arm with the opposite hand, and looked to the soup as if for comfort. Its relentless steam wafted to her nose, and she secretly found the smell pleasant—despite never intending to admit such a thing. Next she pushed off the rock, leaned forward, and drew her friend's backpack near. Her hand dove in and searched through soft and hard objects until she found a miniature sphere. She took it between her fingers and brought it out, tapping it once. It forced her fingers apart as it grew, and she was about to click the button as a sound began flooding the area. Her eyes enlarged and her head flicked in several directions, noises such as snapping twigs being detected from all sides of her.

The boy seemed to notice as well as he took his wary eyes from the pot and set down the current ingredient he'd been shaving. The knife remained in his hand as he held his spot kneeling, and steadied his head as his eyes did the looking. A loud rustle made his head turn, however, and he suspected what was behind the bushes. As silhouettes emerged from the bordering plantation, he cautiously reached behind him, his hand feeling the ground in many places before he heard another shuffle. He tossed his head to his left, and in the same line of sight he spied his friend clutching his backpack. He gave a scowl as she shrugged sheepishly, shoving the poké ball back into his bag into a side pocket, and contemplated sliding it over to him as they began to realise they were being surrounded.

One by one the predators appeared from the bracken, and soon Tau could count six. He wondered what he and his friend's chances would be and if they could honestly escape without an injury. The girl wondered the same thing, although she was more frantic and desperate as she failed to control her shivering.

With an eerie silence another pokémon appeared before them, only mere metres from the duo, and from the looks of it, it was the leader. Its position confirmed this, as well as the unspoken authority which danced about it. Tau swallowed, analysing the situation. He and his pokémon could fight, but he didn't know about his friend. She had only one pokémon, and it was beyond strong enough to go up against a pack of wild pokémon. "Pass me my poké balls," he uttered, not making eye contact with the girl a year or so younger than him.

"What if they attack?" she whispered timidly, her grip on the bag tightening.

"That's precisely why I need them," he retorted, a trace of annoyance in his tone.

"I meant before you can throw the poké ball!" she cried, and the force of pokémon around her snarled in response. She squeaked in fear, her head retreating into her shoulders and her eyes squeezing tightly shut. Her knees met as her calves spread out and the rock padded her back.

Tau gritted his teeth and glanced at who he presumed to be the leader of the pack. He was aware of what would happen to them if he didn't do something. "...I see. Unwilling to part with your friend," he guessed, figuring that to be the only logical reason. "Or you're dark pokémon looking for revenge." He lowered his hands, concealing the knife between his knees as he stayed kneeling, and looked the lead pokémon square in the face.

In return the creature stepped forward, revealing herself under the starry sky. "I suppose you know why we're here," she growled, unable to understand the human's dialect. However, she could assume. "Locate Eight."

A muzzle met the dirt and began snuffling, when suddenly a scent licked his nose. "He was here," he informed, but he knew that was a fairly obvious statement. He followed his paws as the rest of the group kept their ears sharp and maws ready, and he paused only several paces from one of the humans. "He's in the material pouch."

"Is that so...?" questioned the leader, a sneer crossing her face. She didn't intend on a slaughter of sorts, but she would take more than her fellow pack member as payment. "Retrieve him."

Without warning the human holding the pouch screamed and shoved its hand into it, pulling out a pawful of familiar spheres and threw them forcefully at Four. He avoided them, pulling back to his colleagues. With a light similar to the glow of fire, three forms were released, and took the shape of recognisable pokémon. The first one became clear as a yellow bipedal pokémon with a moustache, pronged toes and a cerise star shape on his head took shape. His tail was similar to a growlithe's in shape, and his torso was brown. He bore a human utensil in one paw, and the other surrounded the item's head. Second to take shape was a purple dual type pokémon with cyan skin stretching between the pincers on the end of her tiny arms and the bobbles that resembled feet. She hooked her feet into the ground as her scorpion-like tail swept the dust. The last pokémon to show up revealed himself as a stout, cocky greenish-blue creature with silver half-discs on his head. He didn't need to flex his arm muscles to show how much strength he possessed, since it was basically radiating from him.

The group leader stood her ground, calculating their advantages. Her group's dark pelts would blend with the shadows and allow for cover, but the external bone features they showed would possibly give them away. They had speed on their side, but they were weak to fighting type attacks, deeming the machop equally as dangerous as the gligar, whose ground type attacks and aerial advantage would surely prove difficult to overcome. She knew with attacks such as bite and faint attack, they would be able to take down the kadabra, and relying on nighttime, speed and numbers, hopefully the other two would not hinder their objective. If worst came to worst, they would have to settle merely for Eight and then retreat, but she wouldn't allow that to happen. Not when she was in command.

Tau glared at his friend, furious with her decision. "Idiot!" he hissed.

"W-what?" she gasped, blinking repeatedly. "We need protection! _I _need protection!"

"If they think we're going to attack, they will view us as threats," he exclaimed.

"They were going to anyway!" the girl protested, and was startled by a snap from one of the wild pokémon.

The boy sighed, keeping a watchful eye on his pokémon while talking to her. "Listen to me—"

"Tau, they're houndours! They probably want to kill us and eat us! We shouldn't ha—"

"Kuchi!" he snapped, feeling his short black hair mingle on his head as he jerked it. She gasped, clearly not expecting his out-burst. "You're ridiculous." On impulse he felt for the knife to ensure it was still there.

"I'm...I'm scared," she whimpered, throwing her distressed expression into his eyes. He shook his head.

"...Don't do anything unless I say," Tau ordered, settling down. He had to keep focused to avoid distractions. And at this rate Kuchi would surely screw something up. "We might be able to drive them off like before..."

The houndour in charge uttered commands to her comrades and prepped herself for battle. She tore a prickle from her toe and spat it aside, her ears twitching as two houndour backed into the bushes behind her and out of sight. "Attack on 'one'," she murmured to the others.

"We don't have to do this," mentioned a voice, and soon enough it became clear that the trainer's kadabra was speaking. The lead houndour, Two, met his gaze.

"Oh?" she started, her defences at the ready. "I don't believe you're in command. Three..."

"You kidding?" asked the machop, spinning his arm like a rotor. "I'm pumped for another fight!"

The kadabra frowned at him, then looked back to the houndour. "If you leave now, we won't have to battle again."

"How dare you dictate my pack's movements," the houndour scowled, a look of civil distain clouding her face. "Two..."

"I'm only suggesting," he sighed, closing her eyes. "Wild pokémon are so difficult..."

A growl rippled from the houndour's jaws as her claws stabbed the earth. "Traitor," she retorted. "One!"

All at once three houndour leapt, and only two landed on their targets as the other was knocked back by a psychic barrier. She picked herself up and shook her head, and the taller psychic type stared down at her with disapproving eyes. She heard one of the humans call an order to its pokémon, and she darted from the psychic beam, taking a moment to survey the area. A pair of her houndour was fighting the machop, one was fending off the gligar, and the other was attempting to steal the pouch. However, the gligar was quick to notice and somehow sprung from the ground, spreading her skin, and glided up and back down in a flip. She sliced past the opposing houndour and headed straight for the one near the pouch one of the humans was grasping.

Another energy blast powered past Two and she dodged by a hair. She sneered and ran towards her opponent, and just as she was sure she'd run into the barrier, she released a cloud of smoke from between her teeth. Next she fused with the shadows and shifted behind him, temporarily fooling the psychic type. Two watched him look about before she plunged into him headfirst, and he stumbled, falling on his hands as he removed his barrier. She took this opportunity to blow a wisp of fire to him, and although it was weak, it reached him. She then whirled around and was quick to come in contact with the machop, who dashed in front of her after one of her fellow houndour, and without a second thought she blew an ember at him. He put his pursuit on hold as he whirled around, his fist following. Two yelped, ducking and bowling him over by ramming into his exposed legs. She once again spotted the humans' pouch and scowled, unhappy with the fact of it still being in their possession.

Suddenly her shoulder screamed, and she was knocked backwards, only to realise a karate chop had resulted from her lack in paying attention to her attacker. "Gotta be faster than that to beat me!" the fighting type mocked, inviting her to stand while he held his offensive pose. The houndour pulled herself up, feeling the muscle in her shoulder tighten. At the same time she spotted a houndour sneaking up from behind the machop, and she made no reaction to give her away as she lunged and tumbled with the machop. Two silently approved as she let her colleague take care of the foe and padded closer to the pouch, the cowardly human shrieking in fear.

"D—Two!" called a male's voice, and Two turned to see her friend with a wide-eyed expression.

She barely had time to wonder why he held such a face before she was swooped and knocked over. The gligar attached herself to the tree nearby and threw her wide head over her shoulder, revealing fangs and focused eyes. She hissed, unlatching herself again and soaring downwards, much to Two's dismay. However, the houndour managed to project another ember, but it hardly skimmed the gligar's underbelly. The male whose warning was wasted bounded forward, leaping from the ground and by chance happened to hook his jaws onto the ground and flying type's tail. There was a squeak before they made a fast descent and thudded into the earth, puffs of dirt rising.

Two nodded to him, although he didn't see, and turned back around. She was surprised to see the other human with the frightened one, and this one had a firm, sturdier stance. She assumed the one who had moved was a male, since its voice had sounded deep. It was impossible to tell, however, as she hadn't had experience with humans other than these in her lifetime.

She neared them both, her eyes fixed on the pouch as the presumable male stood. She came to a halt, but the human became momentarily distracted as one of the houndour she'd sent to conceal herself pounced into the clearing. Two took this opportunity to dash forwards, catch the pouch in her jaws as the other human squealed, and managed to avoid a near encounter with the male's metal claw. She tossed the heavy brown load to the houndour who jumped from the bushes, and she too snatched it and whisked it away through the trees. With a growl the male human called out, but seemed too cowardly to do anything. The other one was much weaker, however, and merely sat shaking, its eyes bound by its own fear. Two grunted, almost hoping that it wasn't female considering how pathetic it was. The female houndour in her pack were as strong – if not stronger – than the males, and were much better at hunting.

She left the humans behind her as she barked a command, and she disappeared through the clearing's border. Her comrades fell back and began tailing her, and she was close to smiling as she realised their success.

"T...Tau...?" began Kuchi slowly, taking her hands from her eyes. "A-are they all gone?"

The boy clenched his teeth, thinking things over as he stood facing the direction the houndour had both come and gone. His knife clattered to the ground as he released it, and his eyes watched without flickering. His options ran through his mind as quickly as a herd of stampeding tauros. Should he go after those wretched thieves and risk injury? Was it more sensible to wait and strike in daylight? Should he go at all? He tossed his head towards his party; his kadabra was in poor shape, but his machop and gligar looked only a little damaged. If he left his kadabra behind, he could take his machop and gligar with him wi—

"Tau?" the girl repeated, a curious and worried tone in her words.

"What?" he uttered sharply, catching his friend off guard. She flinched and resumed her pleading look.

"Are we safe?"

"You don't need my confirmation," he grumbled, turning away. His eyes fell upon the cooking pot. He valued his dinner, but retrieving his backpack was more important. Besides, his belly could wait. He couldn't afford to lose anything in his backpack, and with wild pokémon in possession of his things, what chance did they have of surviving? In a hurry he rushed to his pokémon, instructing the psychic type to stay since he was presently incompetent, and commanded his other pokémon to guard and fight for him.

Kuchi got to her feet and flung her worried glance about. "T-Tau, where are you going?"

"After my stuff," he replied without a second thought, not bothering to meet her stare.

"W—but you can't leave me!" she squealed, shaking her head and holding her fists against her chest.

"I'm not taking Kadabra," he responded, walking a number of steps toward his burglars.

"W-wait!" Kuchi called. Tau finally made eye contact, halting. She paused, going through her choices in her head. She didn't want to go with him because she'd be put in danger, but at the same time, staying behind was not high on her preference list either. She tried to convince herself that with her pokémon and Kadabra she would be safe. She bit her lip momentarily. "...Be careful," she told him. "A-and don't be too long." However, quickly realising how she sounded, she stuttered. "U-um... Because... I...I'm hungry, and you need to finish the soup."

Tau turned back around, saying, "If you're hungry, finish making it." The boy disappeared through the shrubs, his gligar gliding after him and his machop powering on ahead.

Kuchi lowered her head, sighing as Kadabra neared. He looked weak in his current condition, and she felt a little sorry for him, and stretched her hand out to stroke his nose. After grabbing her bag she reached in and revealed a blue ball with red lumps, tapped it, and pressed the button. After the sphere snapped open a plume of red energy flowed out, forming the shape of a round creature. As the energy faded and the great ball was collected by the trainer, a small figure stood on the ground. Large oval ears sat upon his head and a white belly covered most of his front. He glanced to his trainer with a U shaped smile, and she tried to reflect it back at him. She had little success as the pokémon outdid her, and tilted his body, supporting himself with little blue feet.

Kuchi laid a hand on his head, reassuring him, and sat herself on the rock she'd been leaning against earlier. Her marill looked to Kadabra and grinned, spraying a shower of harmless water. The psychic type didn't show any indication of discomfort, so the water pokémon continued absent-mindedly.

Kuchi moved her eyes to the pot and sighed. She wasn't hungry at all.

**ooo**

Tau took his hand off the ground and rose to his feet, frowning to himself. "Houndour tracks..." He directed his head forward, failing to spot any dark figure dashing beyond the hills. Tall and thick grass littered the ground from where he stood for as far as he could see. Mounds of dirt caused the ground to rise in several places, and trees placed at random with shady bark provided shadows for the beasts to hide in. No doubt they were lying in wait, ready to strike.

Nevertheless, he would track them down and claim his backpack once more. He didn't need to battle as such, but having two healthy pokémon – both with defences and advantages against the nocturnal pokémon – was certainly necessary.

His machop shouted an alarmed call, and Tau quickened his pace, finding the fighting type waiting eagerly behind a shrub. Lying in the dirt was his backpack. It was barely damaged; a few tooth marks scattered the opening, and he was just glad they didn't have to tear it to shreds to retrieve what they were after, as the bag was already open. Bending down, he took it in a curled fist and inspected the contents. Just as he expected. He narrowed his eyes, lifting his head and spying empty hills a short distance away he knew the houndour had shortly passed over.

'_Typical dark types.'_

**ooo**

Two and her followers entered the pack grounds, no longer required to keep low and rely on darkness for cover. It was typical that humans were the culprits in such a situation; Dusk had only ever heard troublesome word about the species of animal, and although they were the supposed dominant race, she had never come across one before. Although crafty and seemingly resourceful, she was less than intimidated by them, and they were blatantly outsmarted by the canine pokémon without even trying.

She kept her pride at a suitable level as she passed through short strands of grass, acknowledging certain pack members as she led her squad down the middle path. A rising slant accompanied by a ledge overlooking most of the territory waited patiently a short way ahead, and she knew that leading her comrades there was no less than a privilege; it was something that not every houndour had the superiority to do. She was fortunate to have such a significant position in her pack, and she never planned on giving it up.

One step led to another until she eventually reached the slope and effortlessly walked its distance to the top. She rotated her neck to view a following group of her comrades, and nearly smiled as she recalled the success that they achieved. They even managed to acquire a sort of human device. Two had not a clue what it was or how to operate it, however, and figured that passing it to the pack leader was appropriate. Other than that she had no use for it anyway.

'_We're here...'_ she suddenly thought, craning her neck at the high rising top of the entrance to a fairly open cave. She felt her heart skip a beat as she felt the soft press of nerves, but kept her strength at bay to be easily retrievable. She held out her chest as she sat, her comrades taking their places in a semi-circle behind her as she waited patiently until a shadow leapt onto the end of the cave wall she could see. It grew before a figure emerged from the left end, and it rounded the corner to show itself fully as a form similar to Two's.

She bowed her head, her fellow pack members copying before they raised them again to meet the eyes of their leader. The majestic houndour strode with pride in his steps until the moonlight lit his pelt and revealed his dark red muzzle and the healthy strips of bone clenching his back. His scruffy fur gave him the appearance of a wise and experienced pokémon who had endured many battles. The noble, clean eyes he held were proof of his leadership and his size, being larger than an average pokémon of his species, was evidence of his earned place in the pack's hierarchy. His piercing fangs showed as he addressed Two, and she lightened up on the inside as he did.

"Welcome back," he began, uttering a gruff bark as a greeting, which Two returned.

"We return with what's rightfully ours," she stated, turning and signalling to another houndour to come forward and place a spherical item on the rock. He backed up and fell into line as Two stopped the object from rolling with her paw.

"Well done," the leader commented, rolling the item to his planted paw and applying pressure to what looked like a button.

Suddenly the sphere snapped in half, although it was still connected at a particular part, and cerise light spewed from inside, forming a familiar shape. Two gasped as someone she was well acquainted with evolved from the light, and the object fell closed again. Confusion danced around her ears before she focused on the new male that stood slightly hunched and with bent legs. "Ugh..."

"E-Eight?" Two wondered, her eyelids falling repeatedly.

"You will take care not to be apprehended next time," ordered the lead houndour, and Eight, after observing his surroundings and listening with intent attention, nodded quickly. "Don't let yourself lose to your opponent, or the consequences can be dire." He narrowed his eyes and emitted a small rumble, displaying his disapproval for the houndour's foolishness.

"Yes, Shadetooth!" responded the pack member, giving a curt bow before stepping back to join his comrades.

"I'll make sure to deal with him later," Two interjected, and Shadetooth seemed content with that.

"However, I am relieved that you have returned unharmed." He nearly smiled before his gaze flicked back to her, and she nearly flinched at his abruptness. "And the device?"

"Yes, sir—it's right here." Meeting the eyes of a houndour behind her, the human object was placed before the leader.

"Excellent," he praised, reaching down to take the elongated side in his maw. He dipped his head at his followers, and Two straightened up, mimicking him, and he turned to disappear back into the cave, around the left corner.

With no more than a moment's hesitation, she wheeled around and addressed her fellow members, beginning to pace. "Alright," she began, her voice raised, "it's a new night with many opportunities. Let's not allow it to go to waste." Her comrades gave acknowledging nods, each of them moving off down the slope. Only one remained, and Two looked down on him as he sheepishly smiled. She approached him and narrowed her eyes to slits, in no time towering over his almost-cowering body. He waited fondly until he heard Two's lips part into a grin, and she uttered, "As the leader said, the consequences can be dire." There was silence before she snorted and brushed past him, shoving his side at the last moment. She continued down the rock before she heard a small growl, and rotated her head before something plummeted into her, and the two thudded against rock as they descended the slope. Many short barks and rumbles escaped each houndour before a crash ended with Two looming over a feeble Eight. Her eyes darkened and her lips rolled into a snarl as Eight drew in his front legs to his chest. "You _dare_ question my authority?" she snapped, holding her position. Her face remained harsh as Eight displayed a toothy apologetic but somehow satiric expression, and the two continued their stare-down as tension continued to rise.

Several moments wavered by and Eight held his breath.

All at once the two broke out into laughter, Two's much quieter, however, and the stronger houndour moved away, allowing Eight to stand. They shared another giggle before Eight tackled her to the ground once more, licking her cheek. "I'm so glad I'm back!" he chanted between licks, and the houndour beneath him flailed her paws.

"Okay, okay!" she responded with closed eyes. "Enough."

Obeying happily, Eight allowed Two her freedom and stepped aside. Two gathered herself and stood with a content smile. "I owe you," he told her, and she shrugged.

"We need you, Eight."

He frowned lightly at her. "Stop with the formalities," he insisted, and Two looked unsure. "We're not on duty, so...why do you always call me that?"

"It's out of habit," she replied submissively.

"Come on, Dusk," he began, "we've known each other since our dawns, and yet you still call me 'Eight'."

Dusk thought this over, her friend's point evident. "Yes..." She motioned for him to follow as she padded away from the leader's cave, and he jogged to her side.

"...Was that why you rescued me?" he questioned, and his friend grew a question of her own between her features. "Because the pack...needs me?"

She hesitated before nodding. "Yes."

In response he felt a meek smile tug at a corner of his lips, and he lowered his head almost forlornly. "I see." Altering the course of the conversation, he asked, "How did you do it? ...How did you manage to get out of there?"

Dusk took a moment before realising what he meant, and she slowed to a stop, facing him. "One might call it luck."

"You call it chance, right?" he replied, smiling. She reflected his expression more lightly.

"In this case...teamwork."

**ooo**

"There is nothing here," commented a houndour, facing another of her species. "Two, there is no sense in staying. Let us go north. Clearly there is nothing here," she urged, impatience making her ears twitch.

"Hush," snapped Dusk, hostility provoking her. However, keeping up her professional appearance was too important to let anger obstruct her goals. "We will move on soon." She took a breath and analysed the bushes in the near distance one last time as the other female sneered behind her back.

"Let us move off at once!" called the lower-ranked houndour, and as each member listened to her unexpected words, they were at a loss for what to do. Dusk, however, knew her movements perfectly.

"Three!" she boomed, taking the other houndour by surprise. "Am I not the one in command?"

Three was taken aback, her eyes round and her jaws slightly parted. In a hurry it dissipated and was replaced by a stern growl and planted paws. "You're not the pack leader, _Two_!" she retorted.

"I am in regards to the Scouting Fleet!" Dusk snarled, lowering her head so her eyes barely showed below her bone helmet. The two females shot spears between each other as they growled in disagreement, and one of the other houndour, Eight, spoke up.

"Umm...are we moving on or...?" he wondered, unsure if he should have intervened at all. After all, he knew that disturbing Dusk when she was ready to shoot fire at anytime wasn't smart.

"Shut up, Eclipse!" Three exclaimed, tossing an extra spear in his direction.

"Maybe you should take your own advice, Kita..." he mumbled once she turned away, but immediately she returned her penetrating glare.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing!" he exclaimed half-innocently, dodging another spear.

With a huff Dusk exhaled through her nose and soon had her tail end in Kita's face, and the female houndour growled in response, although the group's leader was hardly fazed. She wouldn't waste her breath on a houndour who was not worth it. She uttered a command to the other members, beginning to walk. Her pace soon morphed into a trot, which became a lope. Wind poured past her left and right, her ears lying flat on her head as her tail remained stiff and straight.

The group of five reached a small hill that rose for several leaps before reaching its peak, and they trailed it down the other side, spotting their welcoming giant rock formation in the distance. Dusk estimated that it would take no more than twenty minutes to reach if they kept up a strong pace, but that would be fairly unnecessary considering they had no reason to rush. In a short scale, anyway.

After roughly ten minutes of sweating and racing, the small pack voted to rest, initially proposed by Eclipse. They had stopped by the side of a rushing river whose banks were steep and guarded by thick reeds. One houndour nearly became tangled and tossed into the current, but Dusk had been quick to act and sliced through the weeds using teeth alight with fire, and pulled the pack member by the scruff onto flat ground. He was a rather small houndour, and quite new to the Scouting Fleet. Dusk had briefly lectured him on watching where he stepped and how their pads often failed to grasp stability on slippery surfaces. He'd apologised and vowed he'd be more careful.

She nodded in approval, facing the rushing water once again. A chilled wind whipped her fur and proceeded to settle into a mere breeze, carrying with it the smell of bark and water. _'How troublesome. Hopefully this doesn't mean a storm...' _She raised her muzzle skywards and inhaled, picking up no trace of an unusual scent.

"Two," began one of the members, his voice low, "I sense something...something that isn't naturally here." Dusk looked at him through slits, remaining rather calm.

"Anything specific?" she inquired.

The houndour lifted his muzzle and tested the air again, lowering it to the packed soil and waiting to detect a kind of vibration or other indication of a presence besides the Fleet's. "...Something's approaching."

Dusk's brow rose. "Prey? Predator? Is it not an identifiable subject, Four?"

"Sensing is not exact. Hence its name: a sensory _guess_," intervened Kita, who was lying lazily near the bank's edge. She gave a rude yawn, clearly not fazed in the slightest.

"I outrank you, _Three_, and my demotion decisions require only the support of the leader." She gave a threatening rumble, and Kita frowned and drew a sharp breath through clenched fangs, holding her tongue. "Do not provoke me."

A sudden collection of growls filled the air as the other three houndour backed up, their tails rigid and hackles raised. Dusk threw her eyes to the direction of soft chatter and pawsteps, and suddenly all noise halted. They waited in angst as the thick bushes hid secret figures, and silence prickled the air as nobody dared make a move.

The Fleet's leader barely breathed as she waited, and chanced a step forwards. All too fast a duo of tall-standing creatures appeared in the area, their strange appearance coming across as clearly not pokémon.

"H...humans!" barked the smallest houndour, and Dusk's eyes widened. Never in her life had she come across them before, and therefore she hadn't a clue what they looked like. Obviously this houndour did, though, and she would not take her chances with them.

"Drive them off!" commanded Dusk, and she supported her instruction by shooting towards the intruders and releasing a curling line of flames. She was followed by Kita, who sprung before Four.

The creatures blanketed with strange material similar to fur shrieked and exchanged some kind of foreign dialogue, and the sturdier-looking one released a kadabra. Immediately it commanded him to use a psychic type attack, which Dusk didn't have to dodge. The strange wave of energy hit her spot-on, but its odd power had no effect. The human gasped, and the houndour sneered. She launched another fire spin, the fire spiralling towards the psychic type before striking. However, he was ordered to create a barrier, and somehow the female houndour understood what the human had said: light screen.

Immediately her attack was broken off and the flames no less than smouldered as she cut it short. She gripped the ground, coming to a halt and quickly ducked as a machop – who must have been released while she was distracted – powered past the shield and failed to connect a swipe with Dusk. He picked himself up with a swift movement, ploughing through whatever would stand in his way to land a fist in the small male houndour's jaw.

There was a yelp, and Kita seemed to work on tearing through the barrier while Eclipse darted to his friend's side, facing the machop. Another pokémon materialised presumably to also help the humans, and the round, blue and white form was evidently a marill. He proceeded to shoot a trail of high-pressured water at Four, and the houndour was sprayed by the mist as he narrowly avoided the attack. As soon as he landed, the marill let loose a second attack, causing the houndour to yelp and unintentionally hug a tree.

"Dusk, what do we do?" he urged, and she growled at him, stating rather firmly that he should decide on his own.

Suddenly an airborne object appeared from the direction of the humans, and the Fleet's leader felt her shoulders tighten. Whatever it was it was travelling on an unavoidable course, and it didn't take her long to notice that she was not the target. The male houndour stood dumbfounded as it soared towards him, and Dusk clenched her jaws, yelling, "Eclipse!" and tackled him from the item's way, enduring the hit as it bounced from her helmet.

She saw him tumble and slide across the stones before stopping himself and flicking his head to meet Dusk's eyes. He shouted as she was enveloped in a celestial glow and all became black, the fading and muffled noises morphing into silence as the houndour slowly slipped from consciousness.


End file.
